What is the big deal with Gluten? I want to embrace the entire vegan lifestyle and in doing so, reduce my carbon footprint. (Hence my desire for vegan-friendly clothing.) So many of the vegan products tout that they're "gluten free". Isn't gluten one of the protein sources in wheat? Is having a gluten intolerance similar to having a lactose intolerance? Gluten in and of itself isn't an animal product, is it?

A very small percentage of the American population is sensitive to gluten, about 7 percent. Even fewer people cannot digest gluten at all; they have Celiac disease. For those people, gluten should be monitored. For everyone else, it's not an issue.

It has nothing to do with vegan or vegetarian diets.

The percentage of the population with lactose intolerance is much higher.

I have Celiac, as does my sister, and I can promise you life will be much easier if you don't need this path and avoid it. As Susan said, it isn't a problem for most people, don't jump on this fad wagon.

Always offer kindness and a soft word to the beings around you; You do not know their journey. Your words can be the hug they need or the shove that breaks them.